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MERRITT HERALD FREE
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
Interior mail sent to coast for sorting By Emily Wessel THE HERALD
reporter@merrittherald.com
COUNTRY CHRISTMAS Gabrielle Smith (left) and Cameron Snee perform at the annual Community Concert during the Merritt Country Christmas on Thursday. The weekend also featured a parade, Santa’s Village, a crafter’s mall and more. See Page 2 and 15 for photos. Ian Webster/Herald
Bike Rally faces lawsuit Community Futures says organizers of the major event paid themselves By Emily Wessel THE HERALD
reporter@merrittherald.com
Community Futures Nicola Valley is suing the Great Canadian Bike Rally for failure to repay over $43,000 in loans. The federally funded agency provides startup loans to event organizers to implement their business plans in an effort to drive economic activity in Merritt. “It was really to support a range of activities
related to everything that goes on in hosting such a major undertaking,” CFNV Manager Rob Miller said about the purpose of the loans. The Great Canadian Bike Rally held its first event in Merritt in the summer of 2011 and another in 2012. The rally was operated by the non-profit Great Canadian Bike Rally Association with the intent of donating any proceeds to Circle
M E R R I T T
Square Ranch and the BC Children’s Hospital. Unlike charities, non-profit organizations (NPOs) don’t register with Canada Revenue Agency for tax exemptions as they fall under provincial jurisdiction. However, in B.C., registering under the Society Act is optional. “[Registering] is up to the organization, and it really depends on what they want to accomplish,” CRA spokesman Philippe
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receipt of a budget from the event organizers which indicated a line item for salaries, and what we’re trying to basically do is make sure that all of the monies were spent in a responsible manner,” Miller said. The organization is seeking repayment of funds, costs and ability to apply a judgement against rally organizer Paul Fairfield’s home.
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Brideau said. “If an NPO makes profit, it becomes a profit organization, so it becomes a business and has to become incorporated.” According to CRA’s website, a non-profit organization “cannot use its income to personally benefit its members.” Miller said one of the financial documents from the 2011 rally filed with Community Futures contravened that stipulation. “Our lawyer is in
Mail that is destined for the Interior now goes to Metro Vancouver for sorting. Prior to the change, one box at the Merritt Post Office was designated for Interior mail while the other was for all other destinations. ‘That truck But in the last two makes the or three weeks, all of Merritt’s mail has been same trip anysent to Vancouver. way, so we’re “We already sort not adding Victoria mail in Vancouver and all any trucks.’ other outbound mail,” —CANADA POST Canada Post national SPOKESMAN media spokesman John JOHN CAINES Caines said. “The majority of mail is all outbound anyway, so what little is left, we’re taking it all in. We can sort it with high-speed machinery and get it back to Merritt or wherever else it has to go on time.” “On time” refers to the standard delivery time of two business days for local mail. According to a source who didn’t want to be named, the mail used to be sorted inside the post office on Voght Street overnight, which often allowed for delivery the next day. Still, Caines said Canada Post should be able to move the mail to Vancouver and back again within two days, easily. “We’ll be able to make that, no problem,” Caines said. Caines said the corporation isn’t adding any trucks to carry the additional letter mail, which he said doesn’t add much volume to the truck. “That truck makes the same trip anyway,” he said. He said the change in sorting venue is a response to the change in volume of letter mail, which has decreased by about 20 per cent in the last five years. “We have to take advantage of the space that we have in the Vancouver plant, and the technology,” he said. “Our system has changed a lot, people are using us differently, and we have to make sure we’re being as efficient as we possibly can.”
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